Football fever grips Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: After the Formula One fever that had gripped the UAE last month it is football fever this time round, particularly at Abu Dhabi Corniche, with the world's top clubs set to clash in the Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2009 starting tomorrow.

The Football Experience, launched by Mubadala Development Company who had a hand in both the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and in the staging of the Fifa Club World Cup over the next two years, has been a great hit.

And present at the football activity zone yesterday was UAE's most accomplished current footballer — Esmail Mattar.

Speaking to Gulf News Mattar said, "The Club World Cup coming to the UAE is one of the best things that could have happened to football in the region.

"We [Al Wahda Club] could not make it this time but we are keen to win this year's league and play in this prestigious event next year."

Rooting

The UAE ace said he would for sure be rooting for Al Ahli who will feature in a play-off with Auckland FC in the opening match of the championship tomorrow but added, "Barcelona is the team that I will be supporting. I have always been a fan of Barcelona since the days of Romario playing there and I was thrilled when they won the Uefa Champions League against Manchester United," Mattar said.

Mattar added that he will try and meet Andres Iniesta, the Spaniard who featured in the 2003 Fifa World Youth Cup when it was held in the UAE in 2003. "He [Iniesta] was a great player then itself and he is today one of Barcelona's best," Mattar, who pipped the Spaniard to win the player of the championship in 2003, said.

Mattar, who along with his club-mate and UAE under-20 skipper Hamdan Al Kamali, visited Mubadala's Football Experience, said, "It is great to see the youngsters come here and test their skills and also learn some."

Sultan Rashid Al Damarki, senior officer at Mubadala said, "This football experience, which is open free of charge from 4pm to 10pm everyday until December 20, has attracted a lot of fans. On the first night on December 2 we saw over 2,000 fans visit, test and learn some skills here."

"Mubadala is committed to developing talent at the grass roots level, starting with our nation's youth," he said.

"By working closely with the local organising committee of the Fifa Club World Cup UAE and the UAEFA, we are hoping to inspire greater participation in football — a sport that encourages important qualities such as team work, encouragement and commitment."

"It's also about building an active and healthy community, and we are involved on a wider scale to develop the long-term infrastructure to support this aim...," the official said.